'Ban advertisements that promote e-cigarettes'

WHO suggested legal steps must be taken to prevent the use of e-cigarettes indoors

There is no scientific evidence suggesting that e-cigarettes help smokers quit: WHO

Singapore: The World Health Organization has issued a warning that e-cigarettes contain toxic products that might pose a threat to adolescents and the fetuses of pregnant women. The health agency suggested that legal steps must be taken to ban the use of e-cigarettes indoors.

Ahead of increasing numbers of e-cigarette users, WHO had convened a meeting involving all countries that have signed up to an international convention on tobacco control. WHO issued certain recommendations in the meeting that imposed strict regulations on use of e-cigarettes.

WHO said that it called for a ban on advertisements that might spark wider use of e-cigarettes in children. Experts further added that use of tempting flavors in e-cigarettes like fruit, candy, must be prohibited.

Few health experts however opine that e-cigarettes are much less harmful when compared to conventional cigarettes, though there is no scientific evidence available to substantiate the same.

Ms Hazel Cheeseman, at the charity Action on Smoking and Health, said, "Tough regulations will reduce access to e-cigaretes that are less harmful than conventional cigarettes that kills 1,00,000 people in the UK alone. Regulations for e-cigarette must be proportionate as there is no proven harm to bystanders."

Ms Cheeseman further stated, "As WHO acknowledges, we cannot be 100 percent sure that electronic cigarettes are completely safe. However, they are considerably less harmful than smoking tobacco."